


Milk and Tea

by saiyuri_dahlia



Series: Milk and Tea [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Getting Together, Love at First Sight, M/M, Matchmaker Ilia, Past Relationship Anxieties, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Promiscuous Link, Unlucky in Love Link, With an assist by Ashei, fluff with a bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 17:39:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19408141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saiyuri_dahlia/pseuds/saiyuri_dahlia
Summary: Link wants to ask the cute redhead he just waited on out, but he hasn't been the luckiest in love. He's not expecting anything different from his usual flings, but just once he'd like to have a serious relationship...





	Milk and Tea

**Author's Note:**

> I always wanted to write a coffee shop AU. It's one of the quintessential fic prompts. Every ship has gotta have their Coffee Shop AU, y'know? Though truth be told, Link and Ilia work at a coffee shop/cafe/bakery all in one. It's like a Starbucks you can have a light meal at and leave with a dozen cupcakes and a loaf of bread. ...Which sounds pretty nice right now.
> 
> If it's not obvious, the title is Link and Shad's drinks of choice—the former being popular fanon for Link and the latter being my headcanon for Shad. There's a part two coming soon, hence it's a part of a (very small) series. As always, thanks for reading.

Story Title: Milk and Tea

Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight Princess.

-o-

Story Title: Milk and Tea

-o-

"Ilia, ring me up for a roll," Link leaned over and murmured, after the cute redhead he had just waited on walked toward the more private section toward the back. Shad was name he gave for the cup. Shad with the big curly lock of hair on his forehead. Shad with the brown leather backpack. Shad with the big blue eyes and the glasses and the bashful smile and the light freckles on his cheeks...

"Why?" she asked. Her father gave all employees a free meal, and at the end of the day any breads, pastries, and such that were still good but had to be thrown out to be remade fresh in the morning were divided among the staff. There was always food and drinks in the break room. Link rarely needed to actually buy anything at work.

"It's not for me," he quickly explained and waved his hand for her to hurry up.

Ilia's glare prompted a quick apology. Link wasn't trying to rush her. He was just excited. Link didn't believe in soulmates, but it was hard to argue with himself when his chest felt like his soul had grabbed him by the shirt, pointed at Shad, and shouted at him that this guy was gonna be important to him. Link had no idea how he had completed his transaction. He must have gone into complete autopilot. All Link remembered was him staring and smiling a lot at the fellow, and that Shad had a cute accent, and he had heard his brain repeatedly tell him not to screw this one up.

Link picked out the cinnamon roll. It was a few minutes after ten-thirty, so it was still kinda breakfast time, right? The morning coffee rush was long done for the day, so the cafe traffic was slow. He quickly checked his apron for any stains or streaks of powdered sugar or whatnot, and there wasn't. He seemed to be in the clear on all counts.

Link headed toward the back where Shad was studying and taking notes. He had a whole spread of open books and notebooks across the table. He dressed like a professor in a light pink shirt and a dark blue bow-tie with light pink polka-dots, but he was probably still a student. Maybe a teacher's aide. Link swore he looked closer to his age though.

Oh Goddesses _,_ he should have thought of something to say before he was on his way to his table! A compliment would make it too obvious that he was trying to flirt with him. Link had heard every shameless come-on there was, but there was no way he was going to parrot one of those back at him.

If he just took a deep breath, stayed calm and cool, and didn't devolve his words into short phrases and one-word sentences, everything would be fine, Link told himself. He stopped beside his table and the surprised fellow slid off his headphones. Link briefly heard classical music. "Minuet of Forest", as played by the Hyrule Royal Philharmonic. Link was majoring in music.

"Sorry, I forgot to mention that you get a cinnamon roll with your order. It's, uh, a special we're doing. For valued customers." Despite his nerves, Link made sure to put on a sunny smile. Even he thought that he had sounded pretty believable for a baldfaced lie.

Link was so screwed if he was allergic to cinnamon.

With his mouth slightly agape, Shad didn't know how to immediately respond. "Thank you. I-I appreciate the offer, but no one else appears to possess a cinnamon roll and there's no advertisement anywhere. There hasn't been a miscommunication, has there? I do not wish to cause you trouble."

Link wasn't expecting him to notice and call him out on his story. Not immediately. Link thought he would get back behind the counter before the unknown special dawned on the fellow. Link scrambled to come up with a reason, because the truth of "I think you're cute and I wanted an excuse to talk to you again" wasn't going to cut it. No customer ever wanted to be hit on by the barista.

"It's because…you're our one thousandth customer!" Link hoped the higher pitch in his voice came across as celebratory rather than panicked. _Goddesses, he was never gonna believe that._ Abort messages rang through his head. "Congratulations! Please enjoy." Link set the plate on the table and got the hell out of there.

As soon as he was behind the counter again, Link made a beeline for the back. Standing by the equipment racks, Link covered his burning face with his hands. That sucked. He sucked. The only part he had gotten right was buying the cinnamon roll. He never had a plan after that. _He_ _should have had a plan_ _!_

The kitchen door swayed back and forth behind him. Ilia asked one of the bakers to watch the front for a bit.

"That was who the roll was for?" Ilia said. "Link, I would've helped you if you had asked."

Why had he said something so stupid? Why hadn't he waited? Ilia would have helped him come up with a lot better story than a stupid special. "I'm not going back out until he's gone. You can run the front." What were the chances he was crushing on another straight dude anyway? Given his track record, probably pretty damn high.

"It'll be okay. You were only a little bit of a trainwreck."

Link glared. "That's not funny."

Ilia laid her hands on shoulders. "Take a few breaths. Come on. In. Out," she said. Link was stubborn, but eventually he mirrored her deep breaths. "The Moon's not crashing down on you. You could've had a better plan, but that's what happened. Now you deal. He's probably confused, but he's got a free cinnamon roll. You work in food. Free food smooths things over."

Link didn't have the best social skills. But he was hot, and as luck had it, the guys he had been interested in in the past had never wanted him to do much talking in the motel room or from their backseat. Link wasn't shy, but for one big obvious reason, he had to be guarded around most people. The only way he'd be his easy-going self was if he and Shad were able to establish two decades worth of friendship in what...fifteen, twenty minutes (or how ever long the fellow planned to study).

"I'd guess that you broke even," Ilia said, rubbing his arms up and down to help him calm down. "That means you still got a chance, but you're not gonna get it hiding in the back. You wanna ask him out? Get back on the horse."

Ilia was right. If he stayed in the kitchen, his chance would be gone. Then he would have to deal with himself regretting his decision and cowardice for weeks, and Link could not put up with beating himself up over the what-if for that long. Already, he felt a pang in his chest accusing him of being a moron for wasting his time in here instead being out there where Shad was. He thanked her for talking some sense into him.

"No problem," she said, giving his arms a final pat of encouragement. "Come on, we gotta go save Ravio from human interaction."

-o-

Link was going to wait awhile, maybe ten minutes or so, and then go back to Shad's table and ask him how everything was and figure out some way to make conversation, but then he and Ilia got a little rush of customers and Link couldn't get away. By the time he was able to sneak away, Shad was already at the counter once more.

"The cinnamon roll was absolutely delightful, old boy," Shad said, quite chipper. Did he somehow get more attractive since the last time they had spoken? No, well, maybe, but Shad certainly was in a happier mood. "They're made in house every day, aren't they?"

"Yea," Link replied. He had no idea why Shad had called him 'old boy' or what it meant. It could be an insult for all Link knew, but Shad's accent even made insults sound pleasant and refined. "Glad you liked it."

"I've heard quite a bit of good about this place through the grapevine, but today was the first time I have ever stopped inside. Might I say that the rumors do not give the place proper justice." Shad slipped a yellow rupee into the tip jar at the register. It was more than enough to pay for the cinnamon roll.

Link's eyes widened. He wasn't used to anyone tipping more than a couple green rupees or occasionally a blue one. "T-Thank you."

"It was well deserved," Shad said. "I'll certainly be a frequent patron from now on." Shad winked at Link.

Link's memory went a little fuzzy after that. All the things he had thought about saying, all the conversation starters he and Ilia had come up with, Link bringing up the music Shad had been listening to, well, his mind had decided to chuck all that last minute in favor of staring at Shad as if it was the last time he'd ever see the attractive academic (and as far as he knew, it was the last time). Link grinned and waved goodbye as Shad left—Goddesses, he hoped he hadn't looked like a complete moon-eyed goof. Even if he was a moon-eyed goof.

Ilia had been watching. She was staring at him with her lips tightly pursed.

"What?" Link said, a touch embarrassed.

"You're such an idiot," she said, shaking her head, and continued on with wiping down the front counter.

"What did I do?"

"It's what you didn't do," she said, slapping his arm with her rag. "How could you have let him slip away without asking him out? Come on, he checks all your boxes."

Link rolled his eyes. "I don't have a type."

"You have a type," Ilia insisted. "Male. Tall. Bookish. _Puppy-dog eyes_."

Link looked away and scowled. Sometimes he hated how well she knew him.

"You like them a little uptight to keep you in line and organized but flexible enough to entertain your wild whims. The problem is getting one of them to look up from their big books long enough to look at you."

Ilia was right about him having a type, but she was wrong about his problem. Link liked his partner to be more grounded than he was, and they tended to be driven academically while he focused almost solely on his music. Link knew that he was never going to be the one with the stable finances in his relationship. Part of the problem was that he was always looking for his opposite to balance out what he lacked. Link wasn't sure if attracted opposites didn't actually work out in the end or if he just had shit luck with finding actual good guys.

The other part of the problem was that he always wound up with sweet-talkers and jerks in sheep's clothing. Link could get the bookworms to put their books down and look at him just fine. Too bad that his body was the only part of him that they were ever seriously interested in looking at.

"It's been forever since I've seen you excited about someone. Why not ask him out?" Ilia asked.

"What if he's straight?" Link said.

Ilia tossed him a flat stare that read _"You know he ain't, so why you trying to make excuses?"_

Shad was cute. He seemed like a nice guy. He and Link both liked the classic songs of the Hero. Link was interested in him. He was possibly interested in Link. Why not? Even if nothing went anywhere between them beyond his usual hookup, Link could try to have a little fun. If he went in not expecting anything more, then he couldn't get hurt again when nothing more eventually didn't happen.

"Hey, what does patron mean?" Link asked, getting back to work by restocking the artificial sweetener packets at each table.

"It means he's gonna come around a lot, so ask him out already," Ilia said.

Link laughed. "Okay, I get it. I will."

-o-

Link wished Monday afternoons were busier just so Ilia wouldn't have the time to discuss his personal life with their friends.

"Link's been crushing on a guy that has a crush on him, and these two goofs can't seem to figure out how to ask the other out," Ilia chatted with Ashei, leaning against the front counter, during an afternoon lull.

Of course, he knew what she was doing. She was just trying to prod him into asking Shad out before he had time to convince himself not to do it at all. Link's dating history was complicated, to put it kindly. Every time he had tried to get serious with a guy, they left him or Link had to break it off because they only wanted to string him along. For the last four months, Link had decided it was best if he just didn't go out for a while.

He did want to go out with Shad though. He was the first guy he had felt strongly attracted to in a long while.

"I'm just waiting for the right time." Nearly a week had passed.

"Any time is right. He shows up practically every day. He orders tea so you know he's not addicted to coffee. Sugar, maybe." Ilia turned to Ashei and explained, "Link buys him sweets every time."

Ashei cracked a small smirk. "Unless he just digs free food. And honestly I can't blame him there. I'd string you along for a free pastry every day, yeah?"

Ashei had meant her words as a dark joke, but that wasn't to say that Link had considered the possibility. After the first time had gone okay, Link had kept buying him a pastry, or a cookie, or a slice of cake to go with his choice of tea that day since he didn't know any other way to show that he liked him. Around the third time, Link had stopped trying to come up with a decent excuse and simply set the plate down next to Shad's tea. Shad didn't press him on the reason either, though he did blush a bit and smiled.

When they weren't busy, Link sat across from Shad and they talked. Shad always insisted that they share the dessert. Link wanted to ask him out every time, but he had always cucco-ed out. He was so wary of getting into another relationship with another guy who was lukewarm for him at best or didn't have the same relationship goals in mind. One-nighters and casual hookups were fun for a time, but Link wanted to date.

"You should've seen him yesterday when I had to tell him it was your day off," Ilia said, leaning toward Link until their shoulders touched. "Those puppy-dog eyes got so sad. He was so disappointed." She made an exaggerated pouty frown. Link nudged her away.

"Has he mentioned a significant other?" Ashei asked.

Link shook his head no.

"Does he have a ring?"

That was another no.

"Why not ask him, yeah?"

"I just don't want this to go bad," Link said.

"So you don't want it to go anywhere?" Ilia said. "That's why you're hesitating so much."

It wasn't nice to hear, but Ilia wasn't wrong. Things could not end between them if they never began. Shad was a pleasant change from what he was used to. Actually getting to talk to one another without a single mention of sex. Polite compliments. Moments holding each other's gaze before realizing what was happening and shyly looking away. Ilia's teasing aside, it touched Link to hear that Shad had been sad that they couldn't see each other yesterday—the last guy he was with never wanted to spend any time with him unless it was to have sex, claiming to be bogged down with work when it was all lies.

"Hey, if you really think you aren't ready yet, don't," Ilia said. Link guessed he had spaced out for a sec and looked pensive.

"I want to," Link said. "I just don't know how."

Ilia snapped her fingers. "The brownie sundae. You can write on the plate in chocolate."

It wasn't a bad idea—he didn't have to worry about getting tongue tied or choking and he did write in chocolate very nicely—but Link wasn't completely sold on the idea. "That's kinda cheesy."

"It goes along with your theme," Ilia said, and Link snorted in disbelief. He had no idea what she meant by his 'theme'. "Ask him yourself then. But he's not leaving today without you asking him out."

"If he's not interested, he'll either say nothing or turn you down. Any way it goes, you'll know how he feels, yeah?"

That was true, and it would be better to ask him now while their friendship was still budding rather than muddle matters later on. At least then Link wouldn't get caught up in pursuing a relationship that was never going to be.

Link saw Shad outside the storefront window and hushed the girls. Shad came in. Ilia and Link smiled and Link greeted him, hoping that there was no way he could tell they had been talking about him moments ago. Ilia headed to the kitchen. Ashei scrolled on her phone. Link was on register.

Damn he looked good. Every step Shad made toward him made Link's heart beat a little faster. Shad was wearing a brown suede jacket over a dark blue shirt with a white bowtie, dark blue jeans, and leather boots. He had seen him look like a professor. He had seen him in a Castletown hoodie. But this was smart casual. A date outfit. Link was ready to hang up his apron, punch out, and go wherever this college cutie had in mind. Ilia wouldn't fault him. He'd gladly be in her debt.

"Could you help us with something? We're trying a new item and we'd like to get some feedback on it," Link said after ringing up his order.

"I wouldn't mind at all," Shad said.

Link was on his way into the kitchen to quietly request a sundae be made when Ilia opened the door and murmured in his ear that the sundae was ready and that all he had to do was write his message.

"You're a saint," he said softly, slipping past her, as she minded the register.

Ilia really did have everything put together and waiting for him. And then he saw that she didn't make the usual sundae but instead made their end-of-shift version with all the extra everything and then some included. Link wasn't sure if he wanted to hug her right now or ask her what the hell was she thinking… Yea, the sundae was better with all the extras, but this was a two person dessert now, and Link was not about to sit across from Shad with "Will you go out with me?" scrawled across his plate and add pressure to an already awkward moment.

"I didn't expect something so elaborate, old boy," Shad said, as Link reached his table with his completed drink order and the double dessert Ilia had concocted in his stead. "You shouldn't have gone to the trouble for me."

"It's no trouble at all," he said. Link hoped Shad didn't ask him to sit down and share it with him. He couldn't. Not this time. "Let me know what you think."

Link set the plate down and rushed back behind the counter. He couldn't bring himself to watch the scene unfold, especially if it was about to sour.

Well, he did it. No taking it back now. Now what? Link couldn't look. He didn't want to look. His heart was beating. He turned his back toward the counter. He ordered Ilia and Ashei under his breath to not say a word to him. The girls simply grinned at him and went back to chatting.

Five, ten minutes passed at an agonizingly slow pace. Someone could tell him that all the Light in the world was gone and that he had become a spirit trapped in this foreboding uncertainty and he would believe it. He felt like it. Surely, his chocolate writing was legible and Shad had read it by now. Why hadn't he said anything yet? It was a yes or no question. Either he was interested in him or he—

He wasn't. And he was trying to figure out a way to gently turn him down. That was the truth then, wasn't it? That was why so much time had passed without an answer. But this didn't need to be a drawn-out dilemma. If he didn't feel the same way, then he didn't feel the same way. They could still be friends.

Link turned the corner of the dividing wall and almost barreled into Shad.

"I'm sorry—" a startled Link said. He hadn't expected to be in front of Shad so soon. And by Shad's gasp, neither was he.

Shad smiled bashfully, pink rising onto his cheeks. It reminded Link of the first time he had waited on him. "It's quite all r-right," he said. "Do me a favor and see to it that this finds its way to the proper hands, will you, old boy?" Shad handed him one of their comment cards and headed back to his table. At a glance, the card looked completely filled out. Not a tiny gap existed in the margins.

Link had asked for feedback, but he hadn't expected Shad to actually fill out a comment card. The dessert story was a lie and Shad had to have figured that out. It wasn't the dessert then. He had a complaint. In Link's experience, very few people ever filled out a comment card to say nice things about their service. Not only was Shad not interested in him, what he had done was inappropriate and Link had offended hm.

Goddesses, he was going get a talking to from Bo. He might even get a write-up.

"What's it say?" Ilia asked. She was both curious to know what the card said and concerned by Link's troubled gaze.

"I don't know."

"Read it then, yeah?" Ashei said.

Though he was apprehensive about discovering what it said and all the ways he had screwed up, Link started reading the comment card. Immediately, he found a love letter to his positive attributes. Shad wrote that he had been first taken aback by his lovely smile and further drawn in by his charm and wit as they talked together. He wrote that he was a delight to be around and that he wanted to get to know him better. He asked if they could hold hands the next time they sat across from each other.

Midway through the card, Link started to get misty-eyed. Link wasn't used to this. These were the nicest things any guy had said genuinely to him and not as a means to get into his pants. Not once did Shad write that Link was hot, but his letter made Link feel attractive. The person Shad described sounded amazing, like the kind of guy you'd hope to find and daydream about when you were still young and naive about love and dating and the wool had not been pulled over your eyes. Link didn't know if he was this person, but he wanted to be.

Toward the end of the card, Shad mentioned that he had wanted to ask Link out sooner, but he wasn't positive at first if Link's friendliness was simply a part of his job or indicative of more, so he had waited until he was certain which. And then, he left his phone number. (And a postscript that Link could have simply asked him for his number at anytime and he would have happily provided it to him.)

Link read the ending twice before it finally sunk into his head that he had Shad's number. Link shouted loudly and bounced in joy.

And then he realized that Shad was still there, standing in front of him by the register, in fact. Link's face flushed bright red.

"Reminds me of the day we met," Shad said, with a grin. "It's a good color on you, old boy."

Link rubbed the back of his head and chuckled softly to himself in embarrassment. "Goddesses, you put me through hell waiting up here. Then you gut-punched me with a comment card. I thought I was in trouble."

"My apologies, old boy. I fretted over my wording far too much," Shad said. "You put so much care and thought in asking me out, I figured that I should return the effort."

Off to the side, Link felt Ilia and Ashei smiling tight-lipped in an effort to keep from laughing or blurting out the truth—that Ilia had come up with it minutes before Shad had arrived and Link had kinda just gone with the idea without any confidence that it would work.

"A yes or no would've sufficed," Link said. "And been a lot gentler on me."

"Duly noted," Shad said. "Now I better not tarry here for too much longer if you're to keep from getting in trouble. Do text me later whenever you have the extra time. See you soon, old boy." He raised a hand in farewell to Link and gave a polite nod goodbye to the girls.

Much as he didn't want Shad to excuse himself so soon either, he did have a point and Link did agree that he should probably get back to work. Really, it was remarkable that Bo hadn't said anything to him yet, though he probably had Ilia to thank for that. He was looking forward to texting him on his break. Maybe they could pick a day for a date. He hoped he was free tomorrow afternoon.

With a dreamy look on his face, Link leaned onto the counter and watched as the cafe door came to a close behind Shad.

Shad with the cute smile and a heart as sweet as a cinnamon roll. Shad with the bowties and the smart clothes that looked nice from the front and the back. Shad, the cute redhead who made him feel special and wanted in ways no other guy had made him feel.

Shad, his first serious chance at love.

Ilia nudged him in the side, breaking him from his thoughts. "You're gonna be useless for the rest of the day, aren't you?" she teased. She was smiling. She was happy to see him happy in so very long.


End file.
